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Exactly my thought - I don't really care about the D rings but if they are designed as the weak link to protect the tarp itself, will attaching directly to the tarp create a risk? I'll see what Adam says and report back.

I was in 60 mph winds with atleast -20f temps and the cuben held up fine. Funny enough (not at the time) my ridgeline snapped which was 1.75 lash it before the cuben or gross grain got damaged.

I do agree with the previous assumptions that deep cold doesn't help d-rings. To add to this topic. If a person were using a silnylon tarp, it most likely would have been stretched like crazy because of the winds.

My saw blade snapped that day too. As did a couple stakes trying to pound them into that frozen ground. I'd have to say it was the cold that gotcha. A key ring would be a good quick replacement, still giving you that fail-safe.

My saw blade snapped that day too. As did a couple stakes trying to pound them into that frozen ground. I'd have to say it was the cold that gotcha. A key ring would be a good quick replacement, still giving you that fail-safe.

Great idea - that will keep the failure point on a cheap component! I also had several Kelty No Bendium stakes bend on this hang

Dan broke a Ground Hog stake and had to remove a couple from the frozen ground using boiling water!

I always kept the plastic D rings off my tarps till I ordered a couple of cuben's off HG and they came with the D rings on them,,and I threatened to cut them off and just use the gross grain ribbon which always works fine for me,,,,still wanting to cut them off, but now I think I will just leave them on till they break as a fail safe. When they break,,will just put my tarp flyz and prussics on my tie outs on thru the ribbons and just say to heck with the D rings as like I always did before. I have no long term faith in plastic outdoors over time.

My saw blade snapped that day too. As did a couple stakes trying to pound them into that frozen ground. I'd have to say it was the cold that gotcha. A key ring would be a good quick replacement, still giving you that fail-safe.

I second that emotion with carrying extra key ring parts. (2 cause they can double as zipper pulls in a pinch.) Russ and I had HG cuben tarps in 35 MPH winds and 11 degrees. The stakes pulled out of the ground, but the rings and tarp remained intact. That said, with dutch ware, you can pull those tarp ridge lines REALLY TIGHT before you realize how much pull is on those plastic rings. If you employ dutchware, it's a caveat and a testimony to how good dutchware is made. Deep cold can change everything. Just sayin'..

Peggy & Russ --The Jerzybears -

I do not read advertisements. I would spend all of my time wanting things.
-Franz Kafka

Sorry to hear about the D-rings snapping. More than likely it was due to the colder temperatures affecting the plastic while under load. While we have tested them in most conditions, including single digits, and had good results, I can see that there could be conditions where they might fail (obviously). They are, after all, 1/2 inch plastic d-rings.

We decided to use those particular rings for a couple of reasons. One, they go a long way to keep the weight down. I would put Dutchware titanium d-rings on every tarp if I could afford it. They are strong and who does not like titanium? Also, we build the tarp in such a way that if there is a failure to one of the d-rings, the remaining webbing attachment can still be used for the pullout. This allows the user to finish the trip and send it back to us for repair if deemed necessary.

We have a good number of our cuben tarps out in the market now and we have had only heard of a very few instances of failure. Few enough that manufacture defects of the d-rings themselves could be a factor.

It goes without say, but I will say it, that we will fix your tarp if you send it back to us. I apologize for any hardship you might have experienced out on the trail.

~Stormcrow

Thanks for getting back so quickly and for your kind offer to repair but it hardly seems worth the trouble. I'll use Fallkniven's suggestion and replace with a couple of key rings. No hardship experienced - worked as you intended and I was able to quickly re-rig using the webbing attachment in less than a minute.

On the positive side - it sure was nice to be able to be able to see the nearly full moon through the tarp and my 20* Phoenix with a 2 oz. over-stuff kept me toasty warm down to 5*

I always kept the plastic D rings off my tarps till I ordered a couple of cuben's off HG and they came with the D rings on them,,and I threatened to cut them off and just use the gross grain ribbon which always works fine for me,,,,still wanting to cut them off, but now I think I will just leave them on till they break as a fail safe. When they break,,will just put my tarp flyz and prussics on my tie outs on thru the ribbons and just say to heck with the D rings as like I always did before. I have no long term faith in plastic outdoors over time.

Why not cut them off and skip the experience of having the tarp going flying in the breeze?

That said, with dutch ware, you can pull those tarp ridge lines REALLY TIGHT before you realize how much pull is on those plastic rings. If you employ dutchware, it's a caveat and a testimony to how good dutchware is made. Deep cold can change everything. Just sayin'..

I suspected Dutch had something to do with this. Those D rings are no match for his tarp flyz